Seoul is not on the top of cities to visit, but it could be.  We were there for a couple of days last spring and found plenty to see and do. 

Last week’s blog post covers some of what we discovered.  This post Seoul Scenes Part 2  covers the second half of the weekend. 

First, our hotel was interesting.  Right in the center of the city, it was beautifully designed  with dramatic lighting.  It was a perfect setting for capturing the beautiful bride and her new husband. 

But what interested me the most was the lower level dining area. When the hotel was excavated, they found evidence of earlier civilizations.  Rather than dig it up they put in a glass floor so that visitors could experience history.  

After a delightful breakfast and examination of the historic artifacts,   we went to Korean National Museum.  There we saw an extensive exhibit on calligraphy.   It’s a big deal and we learned that the evolution of caligiraphy has some political overtones as well as artistic and cultural. 

Later we saw a store of devoted to  brushes and a huge sculpture of a brush speaking to me about the importance of this art in Korea. 

Then on to one of my favorite things to do in a city—visit the market.  In Seoul the main market is Gwangjang Market. It has two huge arcades that intersect with lots of food and fabric.  It was a great spot for lunch and people watching. 

We appreciated the  tourist ambassadors who helped us find our way.  For more about them, click on this blog post.  Encounter with a Robot in Seoul.

I never tired of exploring a city on foot and  that’s what we did for the rest of the day.  

Here’s some of what we came across: parks, street performers, murals and even a take-out cocktail stand.  

We encountered a Hari Krishna group who, of course, wanted donations.  They were festive.  It was interesting to me to know that the Hindu god Krishna came from India while noting the mixing of cultures.   

In a day and age where there is so much overtourism and overcrowding, it was lovely to explore a city with lots of art, creativity, street life, food, dance and fun stuff, but not so jammed that the local culture is overwhelmed with visitors.  

I liked Seoul. Two days weren’t enough.